List of military operations in the West European Theater during World War II by year

Western Front

Includes land and sea operations relating to north-west Europe, but excludes:

1935 1938

  • Fall Rot ("Case Red") (1935) Nazi Germany overview of defense planning in tandem with Fall Blau. Rot covered defense in the west in the event of military action in the east (Fall Blau).
  • Fall Blau ("Case Blue") (1935) Nazi Germany overview of defense planning in tandem with Fall Rot.
  • Fall Otto ("Case Otto") (1937) Nazi Germany plan to occupy Austria.
  • Fall Richard ("Case Richard") (1937) Nazi Germany Contingency planning for Soviet/communist takeover in Spain.
  • Fall Grün ("Case Green") (1938) Nazi Germany plan for invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

  • Abel (1944) Free France harassment of German retreat in France
  • Astonia (1944) Canada United Kingdom assault on Le Havre
  • Axehead (1944) Canada proposed assault crossing of the lower Seine and capture of Le Havre and Rouen (superseded by Astonia)
  • Benson (1944) Belgium reconnaissance mission by Belgian SAS near Amiens
  • Bergbang (1944) Belgium unsuccessful mission by Belgian SAS east of River Meuse
  • Brutus (1944) Belgium mission by Belgian SAS in Ardennes to arm local resistance and reinforce SAS forces
  • Bulbasket (1944) United Kingdom SAS operation to prevent German reinforcements moving from southern France to Normandy
  • Bunyan (1944) Belgium disruption mission by Belgian SAS in Chartres area
  • Caliban (1944) Belgium mission by Belgian SAS near Leopoldsburg to disrupt German communications
  • Chaucer (1944) Belgium Belgian SAS operation near Le Mans to harry German retreat
  • Clipper (1944) United States United Kingdom Allied assault on Siegfried Line at Geilenkirchen.
  • Constellation (1944) United Kingdom occupation of Venray and Venlo by British VIII Corps.
  • Cooney (1944) France French SAS operation in Brittany to cut railway lines
  • Derry (1944) United Kingdom SAS operation near Le Mans to disrupt German retreat to Brest
  • Diver (1944) United Kingdom Defence of London against V-1 attack.
  • Fabian (1944) Belgium Belgian SAS reconnaissance operation around Arnhem (also involved in recovery of British paratroops after Operation Market Garden
  • Franklin (1944) France French SAS operation in the Ardennes in support of the US VIII Corps
  • Fusilade (1944) Canada capture of Dieppe
  • Gaff (1944) United Kingdom SAS operation near Rambouillet to kill or capture Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, but which instead destroyed trains and attacked a German headquarters
  • Gain (1944) United Kingdom SAS successful SAS operation southwest of Paris to disrupt enemy communications
  • Gatwick (1944) precursor of Operation Veritable
  • Gobbo (1944) Belgium Belgian SAS intelligence gathering operation in northern Holland, near Drente
  • Haft (1944) United Kingdom Special Air Service (SAS) intelligence gathering mission near Le Mans.
  • Haggard (1944) United Kingdom Belgium SAS operation near Bourges
  • Hardy (1944) SAS information gathering operation near Dijon
  • Harrod (1944) France French SAS operation in the Saone et Loire in support of the US 3rd Army
  • Houndsmith (1944) United Kingdom Special Air Service (SAS) action near Dijon.
  • Houndsworth (1944) United Kingdom Free France Special Air Service (SAS) campaign in and around Morvan.
  • Hurricane (1944) United States United Kingdom Bombing of Ruhr. See Also Chastise.
  • Independence (1944) France United States clearance of German garrisons on the Gironde estuary (postponed, later revived as Operation Venerable)
  • Infatuate (1944) United Kingdom Canada capture of Walcheren Island final phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Jedburgh (1944) United Kingdom United States Free France Netherlands Belgium Airdrop of operatives into France, Belgium and the Netherlands to conduct sabotage and guerrilla warfare, and to lead the local resistance forces in actions against the Germans.
  • Jericho (1944) United Kingdom air-raid on Amiens prison to release French Resistance prisoners
  • Jockworth (1944) France French SAS operation near Lyons to impede German movements and bolster local Resistance; became active in the fighting in Lyons
  • Kipling (1944) United Kingdom British SAS action near Auxerre to aid Allied airborne landings in Orleans Gap; these were cancelled and the SAS harassed the enemy in support of allied ground advance
  • Loyton (1944) United Kingdom unsuccessful large SAS action in Vosges mountains.
  • Lüttich (1944) Nazi Germany German counter-offensive at Mortain.
  • Marine (1944) United Kingdom Dropping of naval mines into the Rhine
  • Market Garden (1944) United Kingdom United States Poland Allied land and airborne attempt to cross the lower Rhine.
  • Marshall (1944) Free France French SAS mission to harass enemy and stiffen local resistance around Correze
  • Moses (1944) Free France Free French SAS action around Poitiers
  • Newton (1944) Free France Free French SAS action in Burgundy, France
  • Noah (1944) United Kingdom response to blowing of river dykes near Nijmegen and consequential flooding
  • Olive (1944) Canada United Kingdom United States offensive against the Gothic Line.
  • Overlord (1944) United States United Kingdom Canada Free France invasion of Normandy, France. See also Pointblank.
    • Aberlour (1944) United Kingdom cancelled follow-up to Mitten.
    • Astonia (1944) United Kingdom Canada assault on Le Havre
    • Bluecoat (1944) United Kingdom Launched to support Operation Cobra
    • Bodyguard deception plan, including:
    • Charnwood (1944) United Kingdom Canada assault on Caen.
    • Chicago United States Allied airdrop
    • Cobra (1944) United States breakout from Normandy.
      • Dunhill (1944) United Kingdom SAS reconnaissance action in support of Cobra.
    • Cooney (1944) Free France Free French SAS action in St Malo area.
    • Dauntless (1944) United Kingdom See Operation Martlet
    • Defoe (1944) United Kingdom ineffective SAS reconnaissance around Argentan in Normandy
    • Detroit (1944) United States American airdrop in Normandy
    • Dingson (1944) Free France Free French SAS operation around Vannes to disrupt communications and arm local Resistance
      • Lost (1944) Free France French SAS team in Brittany to link with Dingson
    • Epsom (1944) United Kingdom British assault west of Caen, Normandy, aimed at capturing the city
      • Martlet (1944) United Kingdom Supporting operation launched the day before Operation Epsom
    • Goodwood (1944) United Kingdom British armoured assault to capture the Bourguébus Ridge, destroy German armoured reserves and support Operation Atlantic
      • Atlantic (1944) Canada Operation to capture the remaining sections of the German-occupied city of Caen. Launched side by side with Operation Goodwood
      • Greenline (1944) United Kingdom diversionary attack by XII Corps designed to draw German attention away from the upcoming assault, out of the Orne bridgehead, codenamed Goodwood.
      • Pomegranate (1944) United Kingdom diversionary attack by XXX Corps designed to draw German attention away from the upcoming assault, out of the Orne bridgehead, codenamed Goodwood.
    • Grouse (1944) United Kingdom advance towards Tinchebray (also called Wallop).
    • Jupiter United Kingdom British attack to occupy and hold Hill 112, near Caen
    • Kitten (1944) United Kingdom Canada British and Canadian advance to the Seine.
    • Mulberry (1944) creation of safe anchorages using block ships
    • Neptune landing phase of Overlord
      • Accumulator (1944) Canada diversionary naval operation near to the Channel Islands
      • Bravado (1944) United Kingdom mine-laying around Kiel Canal to inhibit German naval reaction
      • Gambit (1944) United Kingdom use of X-Craft midget submarines as navigation beacons off Sword and Juno beaches
      • Maple United Kingdom Allied naval minelaying operations to inhibit German naval reaction
    • Mitten (1944) United Kingdom elimination of German position at Chateau de la Ronde
    • Paddle (1944) Canada Canadian pursuit of German forces
    • Pirate (1944) Canada United Kingdom Anglo-Canadian training exercise prior to D-Day, at Studland Bay, England
    • Pluto (1944) United Kingdom construction of undersea oil pipelines between England and France
    • Postage Able (1944) United Kingdom landing beach surveys using X-Craft and divers
    • Smash (1944) United Kingdom British training exercise prior to D-Day, at Studland Bay, Dorset, England
    • Spring Canada Canadian attack on high ground, south of Caen
    • Sussex Free France insertion of French OSS operatives into France to report German troop movements
    • Tiger (1944) United States Allied training exercise prior to D-Day, near Slapton, England
    • Tonga United Kingdom British airdrop in Normandy, east of the Orne River
    • Totalize (1944) Poland Canada United Kingdom Allied advance to capture highground north of the city of Falaise
    • Tractable (1944) Poland Canada Attack to capture the city of Falaise, and to help close the Falaise pocket
    • Trousers (1944) Canada United Kingdom Anglo-Canadian training exercise prior to D-Day, near Slapton, England
    • Walter (1944) United Kingdom tidy-up operation, using two brigades.
    • Wallop (1944) United Kingdom advance towards Tinchebray (also called Grouse).
    • Windsor (1944) Canada capture of Carpiquet.
  • Pegasus (1944) Allied rescue of troops after failure of Market Garden
  • Queen (1944) aerial close-support operation in Hurtgen Forest, east of Aachen
  • Switchback (1944) Canada taking of Breskens pocket, first phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Totter (1944) United Kingdom combined ROC and RAF anti V-1 efforts
  • Undergo (1944) Canada United Kingdom assault on Calais
  • Vitality (1944) Canada taking of South Beveland, second phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Wacht am Rhein ("Watch on the Rhine") (1944) Nazi Germany counteroffensive in the Ardennes
    • Greif ("Griffin") (1944) Nazi Germany infiltration using troops disguised in Allied uniforms.
    • Stösser (1944) Nazi Germany airborne drop in support of the Wacht am Rhein.
    • Bodenplatte ("Baseplate") (1945) Nazi Germany Luftwaffe support raids on Allied airbases. Rescheduled to 1 January 1945.
  • Wellhit (1944) Canada United Kingdom assault on Boulogne

1945

See also

List of World War II military operations

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